This invention relates to a sagger furnace and a method of saggering and especially in the dental ceramic field.
Furnaces of this general type are disclosed in DE-OS No. 26 32 846. Similar designs are represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 657,202 and 569,911. These known furnaces have an upper part that includes a firing chamber that is connected to a stationary lower part by lateral joints and opens according to a set radius for loading the furnace and closes for the firing cycle as well as folds upward again on completion.
The furnace shown in DE-OS No. 26 32 846 has the cavity forming the firing chamber in the hinged upper part. The furnaces in the U.S. patents have the cavity forming the firing chamber in the upper and lower part.
These known types of openings and closings of the firing chamber do not provide uniform control over cooling the work.
It is, however, possible to provide more uniform control with the furnace shown in DE Pat. No. 347 572. The furnace shown in DE No. 347 572 moves the sagger platform upwards into a stationary upper part which contains the firing chamber and is open at the bottom. The lower part contains all of the electro-mechanical elements and display elements. In order to have the movable platform exposed for loading the complete top part has to be positioned at a sufficient height on adequately high columns. Furthermore, the required flexibility of the sagger platform with respect to stand security of the work entered is not advantageous. This furnace represents a bulky, high-built structure.
Accordingly, the invention is based on the need to provide a furnace that has selective and uniform cooling of the work without the disadvantages of prior teachings and with an arrangement of the required drive train that is uncomplicated and allows the opening and closing of the firing chamber independently of the drive train.